Staff Picks: Michael McDonnell

Being a programmer for NZIFF I'm lucky enough to have seen a good portion of the selection already. A lot of my picks were my favourites from Berlin earlier this year. Standouts include the nail-biting Georgian political thriller Hostages and the wry Indian satire Newton, plus Brazilian whatsit Don't Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl! which is as wacky and wild as its title. There is a brace of hot new titles from SE Asia; teen thriller Bad Genius from Thailand and the feminist revenge 'western' Marlina the Murderer from Indonesia. The epic Bangkok Nites, made in SE Asia by a Japanese director, is a stylish and stirring discovery, while Tony Conrad delivers a fun and carefree portrait of a great artist/musician who deserves to be better known. Finally I'm looking forward to catching up on a number of Cannes titles including The Square, A Gentle Creature, The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Faces Places.